Big data a “key to reducing food waste”?

Rising costs of food wastage and legislation aimed at reducing the problem is motivating organizations to use big data in order to combat the issue.

The inaccurate forecasting of increasing consumer demand, which can lead to huge piles of wasted food, can be alleviated by analyzing waste streams and determining an “optimum inventory level”, according to Quantzig.

The analytics and advisory firm said: “Big data analytics helps in addressing business problems, benchmarking performance metrics and thereby implementing best practices across the organisation, improving efficiency and driving profitability.”

Such is the problem of food wastage – the United Nations has reported that approximately one third of food produced worldwide is wasted – some nations, including Italy and France, have ordered food retailers to donate food rather than throw it away.

The inaccurate forecasting of increasing consumer demand, which can lead to huge piles of wasted food, can be alleviated by analyzing waste streams and determining an optimum inventory level.

Quantzig, which has worked with hundreds of companies in the food and beverage industry, has outlined key processes to manufacturers and retailers that should be adopted to address this issue in the food supply chain:

Leveraging data analytics

The report states that data should be collated on stores and locations that generate the highest wastage levels, which increases costs to the companies and infringes upon legislation for dealing with food wastage.

This data can then be used to adjust supply accordingly to these locations. A constant monitoring and analysing of this data, adjusting for differing demands and seasonal trends, can improve a company’s waste management issues.